A Note from General Dunaway
The Office of the District Attorney General for the 13th Judicial District of Tennessee represents the State of Tennessee in the prosecution of all crimes in the District. The DA's office also has a Child Support Enforcement Division charged with the duty to establish and enforce child support obligations. This office is proud to serve the seven counties of the district which include the counties of CLAY, CUMBERLAND, DEKALB, OVERTON, PICKETT, PUTNAM and WHITE.
The 13th Judicial District is the largest district in the Tennessee (geographically and in number of counties served).
The 13th Judicial District is the largest district in the Tennessee (geographically and in number of counties served).
NEWS/INFORMATION
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SPECIALIZED PROSECUTION:
As the District Attorney General for the 13th Judicial District, I am continually trying to improve the operation of this office and its’ relationships with law enforcement and other partner agencies with a mind toward improving public safety.
For many years, this office has had prosecutors assigned to some specialized prosecution in the area of impaired driving cases (DUI) and domestic violence cases. DUI and domestic violence pose a great threat to personal and public safety and these focused efforts have proven to be successful and have really made a difference in the detection, investigation and prosecution of those offenses.
Finding that specialized prosecution was very effective, a little more than a year ago, I made the decision to assign another two specialized prosecution positions in an effort to make better cases in some offense areas that cause real concern. I assigned Assistant District Attorney Caroline Knight as a specialized child sex abuse/child abuse prosecutor. Assistant District Attorney Mark Gore has been assigned as a specialized prosecutor for drug crimes and elder abuse.
I am often asked by citizens what the public would be the most surprised to know that goes on in our communities. I answer by saying that the public’s jaw would drop to know the volume of child sex abuse and child abuse cases that we investigate. These cases range from sexual exploitation of minors (child pornography) to rape and sexual battery of children to other physical abuse and neglect. In an effort to protect our children, ADA Knight, works closely with child abuse investigators during the investigation of such cases in an effort to build the strongest prosecution possible against the abusers of children. ADA Knight also attends CPIT (Child Protective Investigative Team) meetings in all counties of our district. CPIT is a meeting of various professionals from different disciplines that review reports of abuse and neglect of children in an effort to make sure the cases are properly investigated and that proper support and services are provided the child victims.
Assistant District Attorney Mark Gore has been assigned the primary of duty of coordinating the investigation and prosecution of large drug cases. He is intended to be a resource for drug investigators across the district. I appointed ADA Gore as the director of the 13th Judicial District Drug and Violent Crimes Task force ("DTF"). Prior to his appointment, the director of the DTF had always been a law enforcement officer. This new role enables drug investigators to have a closer relationship with the prosecutor, gives them are “go to” person for direction during drug investigations and makes for a more efficient and effective prosecution of the larger drug operations.
Also in an effort to lend focused attention on the problem of elder abuse. I created and implemented VAPIT (Vulnerable Adult Protective Investigation Team) on January 1, 2017. This group is similar to the CPIT mentioned earlier except that it is an investigative team made up of professionals from different areas that deal with seniors. This group meets to review and discuss allegations and reports of abuse against the elderly in an effort to make sure those reports are properly and thoroughly investigated by law enforcement and/or Adult Protective Services.
As the District Attorney General for the 13th Judicial District, I am continually trying to improve the operation of this office and its’ relationships with law enforcement and other partner agencies with a mind toward improving public safety.
For many years, this office has had prosecutors assigned to some specialized prosecution in the area of impaired driving cases (DUI) and domestic violence cases. DUI and domestic violence pose a great threat to personal and public safety and these focused efforts have proven to be successful and have really made a difference in the detection, investigation and prosecution of those offenses.
Finding that specialized prosecution was very effective, a little more than a year ago, I made the decision to assign another two specialized prosecution positions in an effort to make better cases in some offense areas that cause real concern. I assigned Assistant District Attorney Caroline Knight as a specialized child sex abuse/child abuse prosecutor. Assistant District Attorney Mark Gore has been assigned as a specialized prosecutor for drug crimes and elder abuse.
I am often asked by citizens what the public would be the most surprised to know that goes on in our communities. I answer by saying that the public’s jaw would drop to know the volume of child sex abuse and child abuse cases that we investigate. These cases range from sexual exploitation of minors (child pornography) to rape and sexual battery of children to other physical abuse and neglect. In an effort to protect our children, ADA Knight, works closely with child abuse investigators during the investigation of such cases in an effort to build the strongest prosecution possible against the abusers of children. ADA Knight also attends CPIT (Child Protective Investigative Team) meetings in all counties of our district. CPIT is a meeting of various professionals from different disciplines that review reports of abuse and neglect of children in an effort to make sure the cases are properly investigated and that proper support and services are provided the child victims.
Assistant District Attorney Mark Gore has been assigned the primary of duty of coordinating the investigation and prosecution of large drug cases. He is intended to be a resource for drug investigators across the district. I appointed ADA Gore as the director of the 13th Judicial District Drug and Violent Crimes Task force ("DTF"). Prior to his appointment, the director of the DTF had always been a law enforcement officer. This new role enables drug investigators to have a closer relationship with the prosecutor, gives them are “go to” person for direction during drug investigations and makes for a more efficient and effective prosecution of the larger drug operations.
Also in an effort to lend focused attention on the problem of elder abuse. I created and implemented VAPIT (Vulnerable Adult Protective Investigation Team) on January 1, 2017. This group is similar to the CPIT mentioned earlier except that it is an investigative team made up of professionals from different areas that deal with seniors. This group meets to review and discuss allegations and reports of abuse against the elderly in an effort to make sure those reports are properly and thoroughly investigated by law enforcement and/or Adult Protective Services.
